2015 Maya Meetings

The 2015 Maya Meetings:
“Body and Sacrifice: New Interpretations in Maya Archaeology and Religion”

The University of Texas at Austin
January 13-17, 2015
Thompson Conference Center
The University of Texas at Austin

Given its obvious importance in Mesoamerican religion, sacrifice has engaged scholars and captured the imaginations of all who have studied the ancient Maya. But what were its diverse meanings? How was ritual violence integrated into politics, ideology and cosmology? Central to these and many more questions is how we understand the human body itself as actor, object, symbol and performer. The 2015 Maya Meetings will re-examine the “blood of kings” and related themes in a wide-ranging and engaging series of talks and workshops, presenting new interpretations about this key yet vaguely understood aspect of ancient Maya culture.